AfterCulture is a book of essays about the making and un-making of middle-class culture, a phenomenon which has occurred nowhere more decisively than in America's most representative city, Detroit. In this insightful book, Jerry Herron analyzes what has happened since the decline of middle-class culture in Detroit, a city he labels the first postmodern city, because it exemplifies the failure of traditional history to make sense of contemporary urban experience. By looking at media coverage of the city, violence, urban rehabilitation projects, and the proliferation of suburban shopping malls, the book traces the divestiture of Detroit and helps make sense of the plight of America's cities.